It was all nonsense, of course. Katyushev knew how to play chess, but was nothing more than a mediocre player, without the ability or mathematical mind to visualize more than two moves ahead. That’s why he refused all offers of play outside his home town and contented himself with being the peak of a smaller pyramid.

His winning strategy came down to a keen understanding nevertheless. While most chess players sought to be like human computers, efficient and analytical, Katyushev had perfected the use of psychology in his games. He excelled at creating a complex board situation and then forcing his opponent to play against the clock, for example. In trying to puzzle out a board layout generated strictly to confuse them, his opponents would more often than not run up against the timer and have to make a snap decision–one that often led to a disastrous move, opening the way for even a mediocre player to vanquish them.